UC Davis or Cal Poly SLO?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Davis
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<p>I recently got off the waitlist for UC Davis. I already submitted my SIR to Cal Poly but now I’m starting to reconsider :confused: I absolutely loved visiting Cal Poly and I was so excited to go, but after looking into UC Davis I’m wondering if the education there would be enough to reassess my decision. Sorry if this is rushed, I’m in a hurry but I wanted to get this out there ASAP. Keep in mind I have to make my decision by this FRIDAY Math 10th
Pros and cons of each:</p>

<p>Cal Poly SLO
Pros:
*Beautiful location (beaches, mountains, etc.)
*Demographics (I went to dominantly Asian school; I’m half-Asian myself but I didn’t appreciate the cut-throat environment. At times it encouraged me to work harder and other times I felt discouraged)
*Smaller school
*“Learn by doing” philosophy
*The students seemed so friendly, polite, and happy!!
*The school looks like it has a good balance of academics, sports, social life, etc.
*Business school
*Actually has a journalism major
*Surrounding area has great food
*Safer for someone who may not want to go to graduate school after (should something happen)
*Closer to friends
*I’ve heard from people who have graduated from my high school and then went to UC Davis that it’s “really easy”</p>

<p>Cons:
*Less emphasis on graduate school
*There is that CSU stigma (I definitely feel it at my school; my parents don’t as much because everybody they talk to raves about Cal Poly)
*I feel it contends with UCD solely for it’s engineering school
*Not as strong in the liberal arts…?
*Harder to switch majors
*Dining has been described as “gnarly”
*Farther from home</p>

<p>UC Davis
Pros:
*Emphasis on graduate school
*Looks like there’s a wide variety of opportunities
*Good food (Hey, I love to eat)
*UC name
*easier to switch majors along the way
*Better for those on the fence about what they want to do…?
*Closer to home
*I’ve heard from people who have graduated from my high school and then went to UC Davis that it’s “really easy” (my high school is fairly challenging)
*Football!
*One of my favorite UCs (Initially, I wanted to go to UC Davis more than Cal Poly)</p>

<p>Cons:
*Flat land (I’ve passed by Davis many times, though I’ve never seen the campus)
*Huuuuge campus. At times I like anonymity but I might feel intimidated with the sheer size of the school
*Large classes (taken classes at De Anza; at first I was impressed with the amount of students–“It’s like I’m at a real university!”–but after a while you crave for some interaction with your professor. And I HATED our TA…so if you’re behind on work, this could be a problem)
*I don’t really like the idea of researching… I’d rather go out and do something with what I’ve learned…
*Farther from friends
*Demographics…
*Family friend dropped out; she said it was too hard and the environment wasn’t conducive to her learning
*If I end up not going to graduate school, I feel at Cal Poly I’ll have a better chance of finding a job
*No business school for undergraduates</p>

<p>At UC Davis I’m majoring in English, Cal Poly is journalism. However, I want to double major at Cal Poly with Business (now that I know more about the school; many of my friends were able to switch or add business to their major). Not sure if I’ll switch to English at Cal Poly.</p>

<p>Any thoughts? As you can tell, I’m more inclined to attend Cal Poly but maybe I’d have a harder time going onto graduate school. And God forbid, I don’t get into Orfalea’s Business school…</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>-Daisy</p>

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<p>Actually, classes for humanities majors, especially for upper division classes, tend to be small at UC Davis, especially if they’re held in Wellman Hall or the first floor of Olson Hall. Though not a humanities major, my sister is taking a Japanese 3 class in which her class size is only around 20-30 students. I also once took a Comparative Literature class in which there were only 20 students in the entire class. The larger lecture halls (SocSci 1100, Rock Hall, SciLec 123) tend to be for science majors or freshman-level classes. :slight_smile: Professors also have office hours once or twice a week that you can attend, and many of them make a note that if you can’t make it to their regular office hours, you can set up an appointment to meet with them beyond their stated office hours in the course syllabus. </p>

<p>UC Davis also isn’t all about researching. Yes, that’s their main focus, but you can also do other things besides research. </p>

<p>What do you mean by demographics?</p>

<p>Also, how easy the classes are at UC Davis is entirely subjective; for example, one NPB major may find the courses difficult while another NPB major may find the same courses fairly challenging, but not too difficult. It also depends on your major as well, and how much of a background you have in your field of major. For example, I didn’t have a very strong scientific background back in high school, so I’m struggling more than other students in my science classes in order to keep up.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your response! :slight_smile:
The demographics at UCD is a bit similar to that of my high school’s, and I didn’t feel I belonged there. Even though I’m half Asian, most of my half Asian friends were overly competitive and put a lot of strain on the friendship. I’m not saying I don’t want to work hard, I just don’t want to experience my high school again. So many people are dying to send their kids to my school, but I found it wasn’t the best place for me and it’s overrated.</p>

<p>I do really like UCD and Cal Poly :expressionless: I’m stuck between two horse schools ha ha…</p>